3 months in and things-are-a-changin'

Hello To Everyone Still reading our blog!

Happy 3 months at Abernethy Ardeonaig. It has been a crazy last month with friends visiting, giant groups of hungry humans at work, and birthday/parties galore! I will try to post what pictures I have, but they are scattered amongst the various camera here at the center. For those of you on facebook, look for an album coming soon.

                                  Kristina Okerman's Visit:
 A very last minute but welcome surprise came to Matthew and I in the form of a lovely young lady named Kristina this month. Friends since Simpson University, it was an absolute joy to have her some and stay with us for a week. It was great to catch-up on life and to make new memories. Here is a peek at some of our adventures.

It was so much fun to Canoe across the loch on a Mirror- Clear Day, discover a waterfall and enjoy God's Glorious Creation.

Things-are-a-changin'

The weather is colder, the people are friendlier and the friends and family back home are further. AS we have been here three months we have officially breezed past the "vacation zone". You know, the place where relationships can be placed on a momentary hold as you go and enjoy some life, but they wont be "that different" when you get back. Nope we are feeling the distance. Thank you to all who are sticking by us as we try to figure out how to be present in Scotland and Back home in the states. Please know this, that no matter how often we talk, you guys are in our hearts and our stories constantly. 

Concerning the staff here at Ardeonaig and Abernethy in general, we are finally beginning to develop depth to our friendships. We are living life and choosing into community and it is nice to finally not feel like outsiders; to be invited to the events because they actually want us there, to have inside jokes, and to be known as individuals, not as "another american". Thank you to any staff and beyond reading this blog, we are so thankful for your friendship and hospitality. 

Prayers and Thoughts:

1. The Next Step: Over the next 2-3 Months, Matthew and I need to make a decision on the next step in our lives, do we stay in Scotland, Go back to the States, or something else.                   2, Family Back Home: It is very hard to be away from family especially during the next few months
as this is our first holiday season away. We are grateful for adoptive family here, but prayers for peace this season would be appreciated.                                                                             3. Health: Living in such close quarters lends itself to a greater possibility of germ growth, which we have experienced. We both are currently fighting a variety of health issues, as is our staff as a whole, and Prayers for our entire team to stay healthy would be great. 

Thanks for Everything!

Love the shedds.

A Fantastic Whirlwind and 3 years of Marriage

The Last few weeks have been such a whirl wind. In addition to 2 large and demanding groups, we got visits from friends, celebrated 3 years of marriage, went to Edinburgh, and so much more!

                                                      The Fullen's Come to Visit:

I am Astounded at God's grace and how He is so much Smarter than Us. I have known Shane Fullen since before Kindergarten but we were on opposite ends of the social spectrum. There was a lot of pain in our past, But God in so much bigger than our pain. Through a series of events, Shane came to be a believer and we sought reconciliation. At that point we kept tabs through Facebook and learned that Shane and His Wife Chelsea were going to be touring Europe While we were in Scotland. One thing led to another and there they were in our guest bedroom, staying with us for a few days. It was such a sweet time with old/new friends. We explored the highlands, sailed on the Loch Tay, and encouraged one another. 

                                                       3 Years down, Forever to Go!

It is so weird to think that 3 years ago Matthew and I got Married! In our years we have experienced all kinds of life, but we barely dreamed we would be living in Scotland. It was truly special to be able to share our lives with people from all over the world.

                                                       Anniversary In Edinburgh

Matthew and I were blessed with the opportunity to spend a few days in Glasgow and  Edinburgh recharging and celebrating being together. We went on our first train ride and navigated the rails of Scotland!In Glasgow we spend time with our "family" in Scotland, the Kelmans (the couple we met in the states). It felt like coming home for the holidays, except for the fish soup and liver part for dinner. In Edinburgh, we were able to visit several museums, eat lots of delicious food and just be together.  We were also gifted a rediculously awesome room in a hotel and were able to just rest.

 

 

  

 

                                                           Prayer Requests:
1. Continued Health and Rest as the days grow shorter and the nights colder.
2. Unity as a team at our Centre. Living in close community is messy, Pray for Grace towards our fellow brothers and Sisters in Christ as differences occur.
3. We would seek the Lord with all our hearts, and use this time in Scotland to grow Closer to Him.

It has been an Amazing Adventure so far and there will be more to come!

Love,

The Shedds

Our first Castle: Blair Atholl and Gardens

Hello Everyone! At the beginning of September we got the chance to see our first castle... WHOOO!!! The Castle's Name was Blair Atholl and it is one of the best preserved castles in Scotland.
 "Dating back to 1269, the castle has been transformed through the ages, from its cold medieval beginnings in a strategic position during political struggles to become a fine Georgian mansion and finally a Victorian castle in the barionial style. "We loved going on a self guided tour and seeing all the history.
Funny Story: Throughout the house were located these really fancy, but almost stadium like chairs. When I asked an emplyee what they were she informed me of a common scottish phrase that "if you pay for it, you own it". Apparently, these chairs were the coronation seats

from the crowning of several kings, that the family of Blair had had to pay for to attend (as we would pay for a concert seat). However the Dukes/Earls took them home since they bought."owned" them, how funny! Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures inside as to preserve the 100s of paintings and such but it was truly magical.

We then toured the famous gardens and just enjoyed some wonderful sunny weather.
This particular garden was named the Hercules Garden because of the Giant statue of the mythical man located at its tallest point. I wanted so badly to just sit down and have a picnic, like they must have done in the Victorian era, but alas, our time was coming to a close.
We then traveled to the Blair Atholl Town and went to the WaterMill Bakery for tea and a snack. The mill still makes its flour from scratch everyday using next to the same machinery as almost 100+ years ago.
Overall it was a great day out with new friends; we laughed, Saw some highland cattle, Matthew Climbed a big tree, we were warne to not be like snails, we took too many pictures, and just had a jolly time.

Thanks for Keeping up with us and we will contnue to update you all as we can! Love,The Shedds

Second Chances

Hello friends and family, we are officially posting from Scotland. I know it's been a while since we updated everyone but it was very hectic and awesome how we got here.

First things first let us tell you how it all happened. As many of you know, we still didn't have our passports (with visas inside) when we moved out of our apartment on August11th. We had our tickets set for the 14th which was very nerve-wracking to not have our documentation. We went up to Oregon to visit our in laws for a few days while hoping that our passports would arrive before we needed to leave. All the while Cynthia was trying to contact the embassy requesting any information they had regarding our problem. It was looking like we wouldn't be able to go in our time frame if at all! 

The 13th rolls around and we still had no answer and no visas. At the 11th hour, Matthew's dad had a last ditch idea on how to get our passports back to us. We did what we could, prayed and cried. We basically resigned ourselves to postponing our trip indefinitely, even going as far as attempting to cancel our tickets, when we got a phone call. 

Our passports with visas inside had been found and could be over-nighted to us if we could get the embassy a UPS shipping label within the hour. Wow! After some minor hiccups and a extremely helpful embassy employee, our passports were on their way! This was one of the most emotional roller coasters of our lives. God had come through for us in His way, in His time and we had the opportunity to trust Him for a miracle. This will forever be a testimony of what God can do with the "impossible" things in our lives.

After picking up our passports at a massive UPS shipping center in Sacramento at 8:30am, we were off to the airport with 2 hours to spare. WHEW! We said our goodbyes, shed a few more tears and made our way through security and on to our terminal. 

As we were waiting to board the plane a young man came up to us because he noticed our Osprey backpacks and we had a short chat. We found out his name was Chance and like us was an adventurer and carried an Osprey. The plane started boarding and we quickly parted ways and found our seats. Just as Cynthia was remarking how funny it would be if we sat next to Chance, here he comes down the aisle and stands next to us. Turns out he had the window seat in our row. What are the "chances"? We had a great conversation all the way to Dallas about community, the way God works and how amazing life seems to turn out.

We arrived at the Dallas Airport and after a short connection made our way to London. Our plane was wonderful with all kinds of built in technology to help us pass the time. The only thing we were not able to do was sleep, and after 20 hours of traveling it was greatly needed. We arrived in London and made our
connection flight to Glasgow. The scenery was beautiful! The English and Scottish landscape was such a patchwork of beautiful fields and hills, take a look below to get a bit of an idea.

We were picked up at the airport by Brian and Isabel and it was such a blessing to not have to worry about transportation, lodging and food! We spent the next few days attempting to break jet lag, getting us to riding on a different side of the road, taking a hike by Loch Lomond, and getting use to drinking lots of tea and eating many "meals" a day. Our ever thanks to our gracious hosts!

The next blog will cover our first week here at camp, but thank you for all you have done to get us here!

Love,
The Shedds

15 days!!!!

Oh Golly how the time has flown by!

As we rush to pack up the house, plan my sister's baby shower, get ready to spend a week in Nevada, and try to hang out with as many people as possible... we are trying to take time to enjoy our last few days here. To treasure our walks on the river trail, to share in the sweet laughter of a long-time friends, to give hugs, to have as much ethnic diverse food as possible, to just enjoy the home and community that we have so grown in over the last few years.

So Thanks Again. Thanks for making our last few days here filled with love amongst the craziness, and laughter amongst the chaos. Thanks for the encouragement and continuing to call out what God is doing in our lives during this time.

GOING AWAY PARTIES: Stay for a moment or the whole time, just come say "So long!"
- Nevada residents: August 3rd @ Janice and Herb Shedd's Home in the afternoon.
- California Peeps: August 10th @ The Marker Home: (2195 cumberland Drive, Redding, Ca 96003) from 4pm-7pm.

Prayers Answered:
1. PLANE TICKETS: Plane Tickets have been purchased. There was a bit of a mix up but it all got sorted out and we will soon be on our way.
2. CAR: We were able to sell our Subaru Car to a friend of a friend and can now breathe easier knowing that it is out of our realm of responsibility.
3. JOBS: Matthew and I have both been able to transition smoothly from our old jobs and while we are sad to leave our co-workers, we are excited for our co-workers that we have yet to meet.
4. YARD SALE: Our Yard Sale fundraiser was quite a success, netting over $500 for our Trip. Thank you to all who donated items/stopped by to shop.

Prayer Requests:
1. VISAS: We are still waiting for them to be mailed to us. We know they will get here, but we would love for it to be sooner rather than later.
2. PEACE: Peace in the crazy, especially for Cynthia. We want to be able to enjoy our last few days here, not to get caught up in the little things (like how to pack the silverware or what type of tape to buy)

Thanks Again!
Love,
The Shedds

Our Digital Support Letter

Dear Family and Friends,

Hello, how are you? We hope you are doing well, and that you are surrounded by loving family, supportive friends and delicious food! We are writing to inform you of an amazing opportunity that we have been provided with to live overseas for a year in Scotland. That is right, Scotland, as in the country. We have been offered 2 positions as Charity workers within Abernethy Adventure Centre: Ardeonaig. Matthew as an Outdoor Instructor, and Cynthia as a member of the Kitchen and Hospitality Team.

For a wee bit more information on how amazing this opportunity is, we would like to take you on a bit of a journey. Right after we were married in 2011, Matthew became unemployed. It was a very rough few months and we applied for lots of jobs, and it was then that we were introduced to Abernethy Adventure centres. We fell in love with their commitment to providing people with the gift of time away from this crazy world in the Christ-Centered Outdoor environment. We applied to join the team but were initially denied. So 2 years later, we applied again on a whim, and within 2 months we were offered the jobs! How Great is our God!                                                                                                                                                                

 In regards to our actual day-to-day activities over there, here is a synopsis. Matthew will be using his B.A. in Outdoor Education and his years of personal experience in the field to instruct such activities as: climbing, challenge courses, gorge adventures, mountain biking, orienteering, etc. in all age groups. Cynthia will be supporting the day-to-day upkeep of the facilities and preparing meals. She plans to also get involved with the spiritual development team and use her B.A. in Pastoral studies to support her fellow teammates grow closer to God. Additionally, as part of our commitment, we are called to participate in the local church and are eager to help them grow and develop towards a fuller relationship with the Lord.

We are set to arrive in Scotland August 18th, 2014 and there is still so much to do! But it all starts with letting you know about this dream. We appreciate any and all support as we prepare to leave, and while in country. We would be so encouraged to know that people are praying for us and encouraging us on this year long adventure. We have created a blog in which you can choose to follow along with our journey. 

The Website is http://sheddsgotoscotland.blogspot.com/. We would love to hear from you all and stay connected!                                            

Of course, one of the more tangible ways you can support this dream is by participating in our Fundraisers and/or donating directly. Our Goal is to raise $5000 which would cover plane tickets there ($3000 approximately one way), unforeseen expenses in county($500), and have a savings for our plane tickets back ($1500). We believe between our savings and some support that has already poured in, we have $1000 already. We also have multiple fundraises planned for these next few months and we are believing that those fundraisers will raise approximately another $1000. That means we need your help to raise $3000. The task can seem daunting, but if only 120 people gave $25 dollars we would make our goal. Whether you feel led to contribute financially, through prayer, or both, all of your support is appreciated.  (See below for ways to donate Financially)

So we ask you to consider joining with us as we embark on the journey of a lifetime. We believe deeply that God is asking us to cross "the great pond" in order that we may learn even more about how great His creation is.  While in Scotland, we will be given the opportunity to partner with God in a location out of our comfort zone, and join with His grand plan of redemption. We will be able to use our degrees to impact and support people in the special way that we have been called and trained.                                                                                           

Thank you for your impact in our lives. We wouldn't be asking you to partner with us, if we did not believe that you, through our lives, have helped get us to this point. You have been our support and mean more than we could ever say.                                                                                                                                                                       

Many Thanks,

 
Cynthia and Matthew Shedd

_______________________________________________________________________

Please mail this portion to our “state-side” physical address from July 2014-September 2015):

Matthew and Cynthia Shedd      

1427 Mary Jo Drive                           

Gardnerville, Nevada 89460

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As Matthew & Cynthia Shedd go to Scotland, I will partner with them by:

[  ] Joining them in prayer.

[  ] Making a one-time donation to help them meet their goal: Please Enclose Cash, Check, or deposit into a bank account especially created for this purpose at:   Bank of America. (contact us for the details.)

 [  ] Committing to supporting them on a monthly basis for a year. ________/month

[  ] Contacting them with opportunities for work to help them raise more support. Examples include: Baby Sitting, Yard work, Doing your dishes, cleaning your house, etc.   (Cynthia’s Number 530-262-8923)

Your Name(s): ______________________ Email address________________________________ 

Phone Number(s): _______________________________

30 Days to Go!!

Greetings!

30 days and counting... EEKS! As we pack up our home and experience some goodbyes, we reflect on just how blessed we have been to be here in Redding. Just this evening, we has a spontaneous potluck with some of our best friends and spent the evening contemplating everything from God-moments to role-assignments in our zombie apocalypses plans. This is what we will miss as we move to Scotland. We believe God will bless up with a new community while we are over there, but it is so nice to just have a night in with long-term friends. So thank you. Thanks for living life with us. Thank you for the laughter and the tears, for the coffee dates and the hiking excursions. We will truly miss all of you. 

Now an update on Getting to Scotland and a sneak peak on our few from Loch Tay in Scotland, Sent to us courtesy of our scottish friends Brian and Isabel. 

1. Visas: WE GOT APPROVED! Despite a bit of drama with fedex/the embassy, our Passports have been approved and should be shipped back to us soon! This is a huge weight and allows us to really plan to move.

2. Plane Tickets: WE PURCHASED THEM and we got them for a totally God blessed deal We fly out of Medford, OR on the 14th of August. Crazy right?  

3. Fundraising: We have been able to raise enough in donations to cover our tickets one-way! Thank you! We have also begun to receive donations back from the various support letters we sent out. If you have replied to our letters, THANK YOU! Please Continue to let us know if you will be praying for us and/or donating financially. We are still fundraising to be able to put away the money to purchase our tickets back to the states next year and to build up an emergency fund. 

        We have our last fundraiser this weekend. It is a good old fashion Yard Sale. Thank you to all who have donated items for sale. And for those in the area of Redding, please stop by! The Yard Sale will be located over by Enterprise Park, right off Victor. 

4. Family Camping: This Last weekend we had the privilege to go camping with Cynthia's Family and just spend some time away from the crazy with our loved ones. It was an evening filled with laughter, family bickering, majestic waterfalls and memories. Thank you Poole Family for an awesome weekend. 

Prayer Requests:

A. Work: Matthew's Safety as he goes on his last work trip and for a clean transition as we both say goodbye to our work places and co-workers.

B. Visas: That all our visas and relevant documents would return to us as a supernaturally fast rate so our mind can calm down.

C. Continues Prayers for Peace and Grace in this season of transition. Prayers for our marriage are always appreciated, that we would communicate clearly and in love. 

Thanks Everyone!

Love, 

The Shedds

Bake Sales, and Packing, and Fingerprinting OH MY!

OH! What a crazy last few weeks it has been! We have been so busy with so many things and would love to update you all on our progress!

1. Visa's: We figured them out! Thanks for your prayer and advice, it turned out to be some silly error on our part that was quickly remedied. We submitted our applications online and the next step was a "quick" ( 5 hour round trip) drive to Sacramento, Ca in order to get bio-metrically fingerprinted. We mailed our applications off this past Friday and as of 11:23am this morning, the New York Consulate has received and begun to process them (an email told us). Originally we were quoted 3 weeks but the email said the they would probably be letting us know in about 10 days, WOOT!


2. Fundraising: This past month we have been working our tales off to raise all the money needed to go on this adventure. God was so good in providing the resources for the Visas (a pretty big chunk of change each) and now we are beginning to build our plane tickets nest egg and other miscellaneous expenses. At the beginning of June we hosted a fundraiser bake sale in Cynthia's home town of Shingletown. Matthew's
Parents drove up from Nevada to help and it was a blessing.  Let's just say over 14 dozen pans of Cinnamon Rolls later and many other delicious donated goods we made enough to cover our Visa Application fees.  It was so great to be back in Cynthia's hometown community and to just spread the work about our new adventure. We even ran into quite a few people who either recently coming from or very soon journeying to Scotland Also!

3. Scotland Friends. One of our prayers over the last few months has been for God to provide us a safe place in which to recover from Jet Lag before beginning employment at Abernethy and God has once again provided! Through a series of "random" events, we had the privilege to meet Brian and Isabelle who were visiting from the Glasgow Area of Scotland. After a "lovely" meal with them and sharing many laughs, they offered to let us stay with them to get over jet lag! Matthew's parents were also able to meet them and are now able to rest a bit more knowing that we know at least 2 people over there in case of emergency.

4. Packing: We have begun to pack up our house and it is starting to settle in that we are actually moving. Like Actually. Pictures are coming down off the walls, Furniture is leaving/being sold, and books are being packed away. So Weird.

5. Going Away Parties: For those who want to say "bon voyage" in person we will be hosting 2 seperate parties. August 3rd @ 3pm in Nevada at Matt's parents house and August 10th @ 3pm in Redding at a location to be determined soon. Invites to be sent out soon but we would seriously love to see you all!

The Next Steps:
A. We are beginning to Send out Information/Support Letters so if you don't get one, let us know! We are still collecting Addressed.
B. Fundraiser Yard Sale: July 18-19th. We are still collecting donation and a friend has offered to host the yard sale at their house! If you are interested in donating any goods to the yard sale, please contact us.
C. Continuing to pack up the house midst our normal jobs and our random fundraising jobs!
D. AND WAITING!!! Once our Visa's are approved we can go ahead to buy our plane tickets. Please join with us in prayers that the "perfect" tickets would still be available for the awesome prices when we are able to purchase them!

Prayer Requests;
i. That our Visa's Approval would be Quick and painless!
ii. For the Strength to Finish well and honor the moments we still have here in the U.S.A.

Thanks for all the Love!
The Shedds

Updates and visa'a

Hey everyone! 

Short post today. 

Visa's: Matthew and I have begun the process of applying for our visas but we are encountering a lot of technical issues. Please pray for clear directions and websites to work as we have a short windows to apply if we want to be purchasing our plane tickets any time soon! 

Supports letters: be expecting mail soon! We have included a prayer card and some more information! Please message us you address if you would like a letter! (We will be posting a digital copy soon also)

Packing: ahh!!!! It's slow but steady.

Fundraisers: we have a bake sale in shingletown, ca (Cynthia's hometown) this weekend and have started gathering donations for our yard sale in July. Cynthia is also doing a premier jewlery fundraiser show where 50% of the profits go straight to Scotland. Please let us know if you are interested in supporting us in any of the above.

Rest: we need it. And we thank you all for your continues support. 

A fun picture for you today a sneak peak at what the prayer inserts might look like!

Thank for everything!

The shedd's 

The Good, The Great, and The Frickin' Awesome!

Greetings!

As Matthew and I contemplate the short time we have left here in the US, we are blown away by the people we have been blessed to have in our lives. Such wonderful people like ... YOU! Thank you all for your overwhelming support of this big dream that is finally coming true. We would like to take a few minutes to update you on all the wonderful things that have happened in our lives recently.

1. Passport Success: I (Cynthia) finally received my passport and the picture is pretty good looking. With that Matthew and I were finally able to send in our migrant form paperwork and Abernethy will be applying within the week for our visas. Wah Hoo!!!

2. While in Country: We have been informed that we have private lodging! It will either be in a small chalet in camp, or in a small cottage at the end of the road. A Scottish Cottage, Can you believe it?!? We also are not going to be needing to provide any kind of furnishings or bedding. Yay for saving on shipping that stuff over there.To the Left, you will find a picture of Matthew and I showing our Scotland Pride with some t-shirts Matthew's Co-Worker picked up from us.

3. We got a Raise: God is so good. Just when Matthew and I had begun to build a budget around our originally offered charity stipend, Abernethy informed us that after reviewing their current policy they would be almost doubling their first offer. This is a huge burden off our chest as while we were prepared to live within limited means, this now allows us the opportunity to truly be able to explore and invest in people while there (Not to mention continue to pay on some our student loans).

4. Bank Account: We have finally been able to set up a bank account through Bank of America. We chose that bank specifically because they have a partnership with Barkley's Bank in the Uk. Therefore, we can have money deposited here, and take it our over there with little/to no fee.

5. Packing our Home: We have begun the process of packing up our home here in the states. Its sad to think that our charming first apartment will not be here when we return. It has served us well for nearly 3 years, and we will most certainly miss it. We are sorting items for Scotland, Storage, and our Fundraiser yard sale. On your right, you will find a picture of Cynthia in her wedding dress, which we decided to give one final twirl before getting it cleaned and preserved for safe-keeping.

Thank you so much for all of your Support! Speaking of support, we should be sending out support letter in the next few weeks, so please forgive us for contacting you asking for addresses. In the letter, we explain a bit more about what we are doing, and how you can partner with us as we continue on our road to Abernethy.

Prayer Requests:
1. Car Problems: We have recently lost our only car. As we are now car-less, we are quite a bit stressed out about how to operate the few months with our currents jobs, family events, and just daily life. We would love also any wisdom you have to share about this situation.
2. Peace: Peace on our daily lives as we seek to live life well here in the present (Redding), while also preparing to live life there in the future (Scotland). Cynthia especially has a tendency to get all kinds of stressed out crazy and it works better for both of us when she is happy, healthy, and stress-free.
3. Visas: As Abernethy applies for our visas, would you join with us for a speedy positive response so we can officially get the news that we are allowed in the county.

Blessings on your Day!
Cynthia and Matthew Shedd

Getting Started: Paperwork and Waiting

Hello Family and Friends!

A lot, and not so much has happened since our first post!


Ever since hearing about our acceptance, we have been so overwhelmed by encouragement from you, our community. It has brought such joy and courage to our hearts to pursue this dream. THANK YOU! God is faithful and He is giving fuel to this journey through all of you!

We received our official offer of employment from Abernethy! It was so cool to receive a mail package from the UK. and the "royal mail. We are called to be in country on August 18th, and ready to start work on August 19th at the Ardeonaig site.

We are still quite early on in the process but I (Cynthia) have an appointment to finally get my passport next week! After lots of misplaced paperwork and reordering of my birth certificate, I can finally breathe once that step is done.
We are beginning to start to organize our lives, figure out our time tables, and fundraising ideas. Figuring out banking, clothing, and student loans. Oh the joys!

PRAYER REQUESTS:
1. Matthew's Job: Matthew has been unable to work the last few months to due not having a trip partner. While God is faithful to have our bills met through odd jobs, it puts a damper in saving up for the trip. Please pray he gets a partner soon and can work.
2. Faith in Finances: We can't see the ways that God is going to provide for us to get to Scotland, we need help being patient with his timing, yet responsible with what he has already given us
3. Help: We would love for someone to be able to council us through all the language barriers we are having and with general trip preparations. The people in Scotland may speak English but the terms are not the same! haha.

As we make progress, we will continue to inform you through this site.

Many Thanks,
Cynthia and Matthew Shedd

In the Beginning...

Hello Family and Friends,

We would love to inform you all that Matthew and I have accepted positions as charity workers at Abernethy Adventure Centre: Ardeonaig in SCOTLAND!  Yes, that's right, the Country.

Matthew will be employed as an outdoor instructor In charge of facilitating numerous outdoor style adventure, and I, Cynthia, will be joining the kitchen and hospitality team. We will be serving their facility for 1 year, between August 16 2014 - August 17th, 2015, at which point we plan on returning to the states.

The decision to choose Abernethy was fueled by many factors as the image down below will illustrate:

We have been involved In the application process for about 2.5 months and quite honestly it seems to have gone quite fast!  We have had numerous confirmations from friends, family, and God that this an adventure we could accept. Including, but not limited to, receiving full funding to get Cynthia's wisdom teeth removed. Praise God!

As we embark on this new adventure, we would love to hear/read from all of you. We understand that our community is so much stronger than the distance between wherever you happen to be and Scotland. So please, keep us informed on your lives! We want to stay in touch with you. And thanks, for being there for each/both of us all these years. We appreciate you.

Prayers requests:
1. Connections: That we would get connected with some people have experience In this kind of thing. Some of the jargon leaves us quite at a loss and it would be wonderful to have a translator/cheerleader on our side of "the pond".
2. Family: Matthew and I will be missing some very special events while overseas, including the birth of a new niece/nephew. This is very trying to our hearts and our family's. Please pray for peace and wisdom in how to handle these situations.
3. Finances: Matthew and I will need to raise quite a bit of support in order to get over to Scotland. Once over there, our room and boarding are included, but we would like to raise 5,000 to cover our travel expenses ect.

Love,
The Shedds

If you wish to find out more about where we are going here is their website
http://www.abernethy.org.uk